As society becomes increasingly mobile, mobile electronic devices are enjoying a tidal wave of popularity and growth. Cell phones, wireless PDAs, wireless laptops and other mobile communication devices are making impressive inroads with mainstream customers. Constraining this growth and limiting customer satisfaction, however, is the lack of a truly adequate high-coverage-area, inexpensive, small, battery-efficient wireless communication system. Cellular data-transmit telephony-based solutions are far from power-efficient, and impose (relative) cost and size burdens that make them unusable.
A range of new technologies including low-distraction user interfaces, a new operating system platform, and new communications capabilities are being developed. Smart Personal Objects are everyday objects, such as clocks, pens, key-chains and billfolds, that are made smarter, more personalized and more useful through the use of special software. These everyday objects already exist in huge numbers, and, of course, all of them already have primary functions that people find valuable. They could also be extended to display not just time, but timely information—traffic information, schedule updates, news—anything that is time-critical and useful to people.
The ability of these objects utilize the information is partially dependent upon the display capability of each object. These objects typically utilize a digital display for displaying the received information. Unfortunately, many potential customers are hesitant to purchase these objects, partially basing their purchasing decision on the inelegant digital display. That is, many potential customers are unwilling to wear digital watches or require/prefer a more elegant or fashionable watch.